Boone County, Columbia Ballot Issues Win Voter Approval

COLUMBIA - Some key ballot issues passed in Tuesday night's election. One of the four is a $50 million dollar bond for Columbia Public Schools to expand elementary schools and to build a replacement for Cedar Ridge Elementary School. The money will also go into stadium renovations at Douglass and Rock Bridge High Schools.

More than 7,100 people voted in favor of the bond that will increase the district's debt levy by four cents, meaning an average homeowner will pay an additional $12 a year in property taxes.

"It's not a very large impact to the average homeowner in Columbia and they will see that increase in December of this year when they receive the property tax," said Columbia School Board member Jonathan Sessions. "This increase is only for the Columbia Public School District, so it's larger than the city but not the whole county because there are a few other school districts and in Boone County."

The Boone County Fire Protection District also won voter approval for a $14 million bond in Tuesday's election. Almost three-quarters of voters were in favor of the issue, which will pay for the replacement of old equipment and for a new Station 13, where mold is preventing firefighters from fully utilizing the station.

"The bond tax was essentially paid off in 2008 so they haven't had to pay a bond tax so what we essentially asked them to do is just reauthorize that bond tax," said Boone County Fire Chief Scott Olsen. "They will be paying 25 cents per 100 dollars of reassessed value. So for about a hundred thousand house, it's about 47 dollars."

Homeowners will see the tax increase for both bonds by the end of the year and they may have to pay both depending on where they live.